Spring growth

It’s March and here in the Champlain Valley the sun has been out, illuminating the first early signs of spring. During a short walk down to Al’s with my family (no, the cree-mee window was not open yet), all the signs pointed to the impending re-birth of all types of life. The sun was warm and the sidewalk was covered with the water emanating from the melting snow. A telltale sign of the impending reappearance of green grass. Just the other day I had seen a male and female cardinal in my bushes; the male chirping and flaunting his bright colors in an attempt to attract his new love.

Spring is a time of new life. A time of buds on trees and sprouts working their way out of the once-frozen earth to seek the light of the sun. This growth is all visible to us; or is it? We’ll all see the new leaves on the trees, the new growth in the flower gardens, and the chirps of the baby birds will soon be heard as well. We’ll see it all when it arrives, but what we won’t see is the minute growth that comes about throughout the spring time. That bud starts inside the tree somewhere, invisible to the outside world. The life giving water is drawn up through the trunk, feeding the new vegetation. While that bud seems to just appear one morning, there is a quiet struggle going on. The struggle of growth that happens so slowly that watching it is nearly impossible.

When a tree is cut down and all of its rings are visible, revealing its age, we have to question if we really were a witness to the life of that tree, so much of its maturing was inside, where we couldn’t see it. Make no mistake though, it surely did happen; slowly, quietly, and without fanfare.

This time of year is also important in another way. It’s a time to look at ourselves and consider our own growth, our own areas that need more cultivating; some care and feeding. We too should grow constantly; slowly, quietly, without much fanfare. It’s important to note though that we do have a distinct advantage over the flowers and shrubbery in our yards. We can make choices, we have the free-will needed to decide what part of ourselves and our families need nourishment. We can take the time to look inside and see where we are in the process of becoming the person we want to be; where we’ve made mistakes. We can ask for forgiveness, we can make amends. We can make big changes; much like a plant that has outlived its time in a small pot and needs to be re-planted, we too can make great strides, in essence, replanting ourselves, always being cautious not to damage our roots.

So as we prepare for spring and its renewal of life, let’s not forget the most important life of all -- our own.